Trapped
by mistress meo
Summary: Sequel. Picks up where Pinned left off. Time to get some things settled. Draco and Hermione fic.
1. Trapped

Okay, so ya'all suckered me into a sequel. If you haven't read PINNED, it's recommended that you read that one first. It'll just flow better.

Let me first say that the reviews for Pinned were awesome. Thanks to all who took the time to say a few words of encouragement…it has inspired this sequel.

Well, here it is. Just so you know, Draco and Hermione become a bit more OOC in this one – but I tried not to go over the top with it. Believe me there was more to the ending, but I decided after some helpful advice from my sister, to save some things for later. And hey, that might mean a sequel to this sequel. As always, please review and let me know what you think.

JK Rowling is the keeper of all that is Harry Potter. I own nothing…damn it.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

TRAPPED

As soon as the heavy double doors closed behind her, Hermione flat out ran to her dormitory. She needed to get away. With favorite book and blanket in hand, she left her room and was scurrying back through the portrait hole in all of 5 minutes, almost knocking down Harry and Ron returning from Quidditch practice. She didn't look back, not even when Ron inquired if she was okay; just a quick "Not now Ron, I'm late for…something," was all they heard before she disappeared down the staircase.

"What could she possibly be late for? It's Saturday."

"Who knows," Harry answered. "Come on mate, let's get the Flitwick essay done tonight so we can actually have a day in Hogsmeade tomorrow."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Hermione quickly grabbed a snack in the Great Hall and left the castle making her way out to the lake. She could barely breathe. The walls seemed to be closing in around her; she had to get out. She reached the lake without seeing anyone. Most of the students who were out here earlier had gone to the Great Hall for lunch. Heading towards the far side of the lake where it bordered the dark forest, she found a comfortable and secluded spot, spread the blanket and sat down leaning against a tree. One deep breath, then another…._'Calm yourself Hermione…it meant nothing…absolutely nothing.'_

She closed her eyes and just sat there, book forgotten; sat and listened to the birds chattering in their nests, hoping it would block the confrontation that occurred between her and Malfoy. Unfortunately, it proved to be more difficult than she thought. And the birdsong became more of an annoyance than a distraction. Not at all as therapeutic as she hoped.

"You stupid…stupid…stupid girl," she berated herself quietly while she banged the back of her head against the tree. _'What have you done and why…why did you do it?'_

"Better take it easy Granger, if you keep banging your head like that all your clever brains might spill out." Her eyes snapped open at the sound of the familiar drawl. He was standing in front of her, hands in his pockets, looking down at her with that trademark smirk of his. She quickly scrambled to stand and backed away a few steps. Hermione wanted as much distance between them as possible. "What do you want now?" she asked trying to keep her voice from trembling.

"I don't want anything Granger. I'm just out for a walk enjoying the lovely afternoon," he said taking a few steps closer to her. Hermione mirrored his steps, retreating slowly. "Who knew spending the morning cooped up in the library finishing my paper was going to be so…physically trying?" He was still advancing on her, but not in a threatening way. Though he did manage to back her around to the other side of the tree.

"Malfoy, I came out here to be alone. So if you wouldn't mind leaving..."

"Oh, I _would_ mind. I have a right to be here, same as you."

"But I was here first," she said lamely.

"What if I told you this was my most favorite spot by the lake? I always come here after a rigorous bout of…studying." Suddenly, Hermione ran out of room and found herself completely backed against the tree. He continued forward so that he was standing directly in front of her.

"Please go," she pleaded softly.

"Nope." He leaned against the tree, trapping her between his arms. She had nowhere to go.

"Fine, then…I…I'll find someplace else." She started to move away from him, but he pushed her back, trapping her once again.

"You're not going anywhere."

"Malfoy…please." His actions and nearness were making her uncomfortable.

"Not until we get something settled."

"And what's that?" she asked trying to look and sound defiant.

"Some things need to be clarified, my little Gryffindor. Back in the library…I may have said you were as _good_ and me, but I didn't say you were _better_ than me."

"Not this again Malfoy. Can't you just let it go? I already proved…"

"All you proved was that you could keep up with me. I'll give you points for taking me unawares, but that doesn't mean you're _better_."

You're being ridiculous, Malfoy," she was getting annoyed by his continued harping on their earlier conversation in the library.

"Am I? Name one thing that you're better at."

"I get better grades," she said squaring her shoulders.

"Nope, try again."

"What? Yes I do. Ask anyone."

"Our grades are equal Granger, we both got the same number of Outstandings on our OWL's.

"Friends…I have better friends…"

"Ha! I'm going to have to disagree _again_. How good a person's friends are, is a matter of one's own personal opinion. I think your friends stink. As I'm sure you think the same of mine – so we are at an impasse in the friends department. Anything else?"

His nearness was making her uncomfortable. She couldn't think. Even though she knew it was a lie, she didn't know what else to do but admit defeat. She took a cleansing breath and spoke softly and calmly. "Fine. You want me to admit that you're better than me? Okay, you're better than me...at what – I have no idea, but if me admitting it helps you sleep better at night, well then, there you have it. Can I go now?"

"Absolutely not."

"Ugh!" she cried in frustration, "what do you want from me Malfoy?"

"That's a loaded question if I ever heard one."

"You're a walking contradiction, do you know that?" she suddenly said, completely changing the subject.

"Really?" he said intrigued inching a little closer. "In what way?"

"Not 2 hours ago, you said I was useless and an inconvenience to everyone. If that's the case, why did you waste your time in the library asking me questions about my personal life that you couldn't possibly care about? And what's with all the questions now? You should be as far from me as possible."

"_You_ of all people should understand wanting to prove a point."

"This goes a little beyond proving a point, Malfoy. I'd wager that you weren't just out for a walk by the lake, I think you sought me out. Why? You've hated me for years so, why would you waste your precious time keeping me in this uncomfortable position pinned to a tree like some animal caught in a trap?"

"Lord, Granger," he said sighing heavily. "Do you always have to debate a topic to death?"

She stared at him, brow furrowed, unsure how to proceed. "I have just one last question Malfoy, and this time I want an answer."

"Oh, all right," he said as if bored. "Which one did you want answered? There seemed to be a quite a few in that little tirade…"

"Why did you kiss me?"

"What? I didn't kiss you Granger, you kissed me."

"I kissed you the _first_ time. But then _you_ kissed _me_."

"No I didn't," he said pretending shock from the accusation.

"Oh, yes you did. And don't even try to deny it, _I_ was the one being kissed. I may not have as much experience as you, but I _have_ been kissed before. I'm sure I even have the bruise on my neck to prove it." She lifted up the hair from her neck and showed him.

"I don't see anything," he said innocently.

"I can feel the soreness, Malfoy. You grabbed my neck and pulled me to you…_hard_."

"Perhaps I should take a closer look, hmmm?" He leaned in and tried to nuzzle against her neck.

"Get off of me you stupid git." She pushed against.

"Now, now. If you're claiming that I hurt you, it's only right for me to take a look and do whatever I can to heal you." He leaned in again. "Is it here?" he said softly against her neck then kissed her pulse point.

"Stop that," she said trying again to push him off her.

"Or here?" this time he placed a kiss a little further up behind her ear. She shivered and tilted her neck involuntarily. Malfoy tutted softly. "I really don't see a mark here Granger, but we can most certainly remedy that". Moving his lips back to her pulse point he began licking and kissing and sucking on her neck. Hermione moved her hands to his shoulders not sure if she was trying to support herself or if in a feeble attempt to push him away. Malfoy held onto her waist and spun them. She hadn't expected it and a gasp escaped her lips. Now his back was against the tree, giving him better access to her neck. He pulled her against him, tightly snaking his arms around her and holding her close. As he continued to suck on her neck, Hermione resisted less and less.

"Please Malfoy," she begged. The sensible side of her brain was hoping he would let her go. The wanton side of her brain was hoping he wouldn't stop. Her hands moved of their own volition – she was now holding his head to her neck, her breath increasing to a pant. If Malfoy had been a vampire, she'd have no blood left. At last he pulled away and looked at her completely satisfied.

"There now, that's a mark to be proud of," he said mischievously.

"What!" she put her hand to her neck and backed away. "You didn't."

"I sure as bloody hell did."

"You are such a….a…."

"More definitions, Granger? Where does your excessive vocabulary end? You should be thanking me – that mark will do numbers for your non-existent reputation."

"I don't want a reputation."

"There in lies your problem Granger."

"Why did you do that?"

"It's fun to piss you off?" he said enjoying her discomfort.

"Ha! I don't think so…that's the second time you _voluntarily_ kissed me. What's going on with you Malfoy? Tell me the truth."

"Everyone else is busy with their homework or at lunch…" examining his impeccable manicured nails, "I had no one to play with." He was trying his best to play at being a sad child who lost his favorite toy. She didn't buy it.

"Come on Malfoy." She had her arms crossed over her chest, her head tilted and a glare of death shooting from her eyes. Ah, the feisty Granger was back – he liked her this way.

"Alright, alright…what happened in the library…it got me hot, okay? Even _you_ and your lack of experience should have noticed _that_. I believe you even used it to your advantage. But at the same time, I found it, shall we say, unfulfilling. I think you should finish what you started – or do you want to be labeled as a tease?"

"You're the one who started it with the _'I'm better than you crap'_."

"Ah, which brings us back to your _still_ unanswered question – How are you better than me?"

They were speaking in circles. "I already admitted…" she began then changed course. "I have feelings, which, clearly you don't", she answered rubbing the spot on her neck, hoping that would make it disappear

"I do so have feelings. And right now I feel like a good snog, and since you're the one who got me all randy to begin with _and_ since you're the only one around, I thought…"

"Go find Pansy – I'm sure she'd be more than happy to satisfy you're _feelings_."

"Nope. I find the prospect of your uncharted territory much more appealing. And if you play your cards right, you just might learn a thing or two."

"I don't want to learn anything from you. Besides, one way or another you'd probably end up holding it against me."

"Holding _something_ against you can most definitely be arranged, Granger – but don't get ahead of yourself. You have plenty of things to learn before you go giving it away."

She was astonished. Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but all she could get out was a few squeaks of outrage. She couldn't believe what he had just implied.

"Come on Granger, not everything can be learned in a book. It's not every girl that gets an offer like this from me." Hermione burst out laughing and turned to leave. He caught her wrist and spun her back to face him.

"Don't walk away from a win/win situation, Granger. You'll gain the sexual education of a lifetime and I'll get satisfaction of having been the one to teach you, instead of your two asexual friends."

"I don't think so Malfoy", she started to pull away, but he tightened his grip and pulled her to him so that her back was against his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Whispering in her ear he said, "Tell me you didn't like the feel of me underneath you…and don't lie," he added quickly when she opened her mouth to deny it. "I heard you moan at the feel of me between your legs." Hermione blushed and looked away. "Being bad feels pretty good, doesn't it?"

She didn't comment. Too many thoughts were running through her mind. Learning from Malfoy…it scared her and excited her at the same time. If she didn't, would he force her? If she did something wrong, would he laugh at her? And what if he used this experience to ruin her reputation. What if he told Harry and Ron, what would they think? Would they still be her friends?

She looked over her shoulder at him, eying him suspiciously. "Why would you do this for me? With me?"

He hugged her tighter, and she instinctively rested her arms over his. "I think we found some common ground in the library earlier. Perhaps that can be developed a bit. It would definitely help the inter-house unity that Dumbledore keeps prattling on about."

"What common ground?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well, we found that you have a nasty streak buried somewhere beneath your goody-goody image. That side of you appeals to me…makes me curious as to what other personality traits you have hidden away which I might enjoy. We also found out that I didn't throw up after you kissed me, so you're obviously not as vile as I've always imagined."

"What you see is what you get, Malfoy."

"Hardly. If you hadn't shown me your forceful side, I never would have kissed you back. Sure, in the past you've been easily angered, but this time – you took it a step further – you crossed over a threshold, one that we both may have been unconsciously teetering on for a long time. Bully for you for having had the guts to cross it first."

"But you were the one who pushed me to…"

"I may have taunted you, but _you_ took the initiative and kissed _me_ first. You're just pissed and scared because you got off on it."

"I don't even know why we're discussing this. I..I didn't like…this is ridiculous. I will not do this."

"If you weren't interested in my proposition, you would have walked away from me by now." He practically purred in her ear.

"I tried…you wouldn't let me…"

"Go?" He let go of her. "I'm not forcing you to stay. You can walk away anytime."

"Why am I even considering this?" she asked looking at the sky as if trying to find an answer.

"You…liked…it," Malfoy said simply. "You enjoyed what happened between us in the library, just admit it and we can get started. Lord Granger, I didn't think this afternoon was going to end up in debate…and if anyone should be questioning his or her sanity Granger, it should be me. Just goes to show how much our little encounter effected me." He shook his head in disbelief, thinking back about what happened. "I would have pegged you for a submissive in the bedroom."

"And I would have pegged you as the demanding and dominant one."

She was coming around and he knew it. All he had to do was seal the deal.

"I am, but in this case, I'll make an exception…purely educational, you understand?"

"If this is some sort of trick to humiliate me, I swear on all that is magic – I will kill you. Do _you _understand?"

He smiled a condescending smile, "do you really think I'll go bragging to my fellow Slytherins? I'd be ostracized by my whole house - not to mention what Father would do to me if he found out…"

"What about Harry and Ron? I'm sure you'd just _love_ to tell them."

"True, I would love to rub it in their faces…but then it would get back to my housemates and then you know, the ostracized bit."

"Do you swear this isn't some sort of a trick? – that you will never hurt me or humiliate me – publicly _or_ privately." He nodded. "Cross your heart and hope to die?" It came out a little more childish than she planned, but he understood her meaning perfectly. Malfoy took out his wand, held the tip over his heart and made a crossing motion while repeating the phrase. Satisfied, she nodded her consent.

"Now, where do you want me?" he asked as if getting down to business.

"Out of my site." She turned and started to walk away.

"What?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. _ 'She was just going to walk away from this proposition…from me? No one walks away from snogging a Malfoy! Is she totally insane?'_

"One day I may take you up on your offer Malfoy, but one thing is for certain…today is not that day. I'll seek you out if I ever decide to join you on the other side of that threshold." Hermione walked back to the castle trying desperately not to break into a run. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might burst through her chest.

Malfoy crossed his arms, leaned against the tree and watched her go. He never thought he'd see the day where a girl, _any_ girl, would play hard to get with him…let alone Miss Hermione Granger.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Sooooo? What do you guys think? I have more…do you want more?

The quote: " Being bad feels pretty good" was borrowed from The Breakfast Club.


	2. Cornered

The Sequel to the Sequel 'Trapped'.

Is there such a thing as a threequel? Probably not so much, but two years later without so much as a plan or plot in mind she posts it. For better or worse, here it is. Is it technically a second or a third chapter? Third, I guess, if you consider Pinned to be chapter 1, though it was originally meant to be a one shot. Anyway, I'm posting it as chapter two to Trapped since a few reviewers thought I should have posted Trapped as the chapter two of Pinned. Whatever. In any case, it picks up after Trapped.

I don't have a fully developed storyline for this one…I'm flying by the seat of my pants and have no idea what I'll end up with. And I have no idea how long this will go on or how often I will update. But if it took two years to post this chapter, don't check every week for an update. If I'm marked as a favorite author or if this is a favorite story, you'll probably get some kind of notice when I post the next part. As always, I will do my best to try and make it original and worthy of your time. Review if you feel compelled.

And, sadly…I own nothing...just playing with JKR's brilliant cast of characters.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

CORNERED

Saturday was turning out to be one of the longest days of Hermione Granger's life. All she wanted to do was finish her homework and have the rest of the weekend to herself. Unfortunately, a certain blond boy wouldn't give her a break. First there was the incident in the library, then down by the lake and now…he was standing at the opposite end of Astronomy tower and seemed to be waiting for her. He knew she had rounds tonight, knew where she'd be…damn it.

"Granger," he acknowledged.

"And so my day is now complete."

"You finally showed."

Hermione walked to the railing a good distance away from Malfoy and looked towards the Quidditch pitch, composing herself before answering. "I didn't know I was expected. Sorry," she said flippantly, "little busy actually doing stuff."

Malfoy came to stand behind her purposely invading her personal space. She shivered involuntarily and leaned even closer into the tower's railing attempting to recover some space between them. He countered by placing his hands on the railing, enclosing her within and leaning directly against her: his front fitting like a glove against the curves of her back. She was trapped again, pinned to the railing…cornered.

"Like avoiding me?" His soft whisper sent another round of shivers up and down her spine.

"Yes, as a matter of fact."

"Really. Why is that Granger?"

"I think we had enough quality time for one day, don't you?" She was trying desperately to keep her cool. It took everything she had to stop herself from looking for him this afternoon. She had wanted so badly to kiss him out by the lake.

"You shouldn't be so flip, luv. But if you think that was quality…" he leaned closer and nuzzled against her neck, "you really do need a few lessons."

She looked over her shoulder at him. "What are you gonna do, stand behind me to death?"

"I'll do much more than just stand behind you, that's a promise," and as if to clear up any misconceptions he slowly rubbed himself against her.

She spun in his arms and faced him. "Don't even think to try and corner and coerce _me_ Malfoy. I was on patrol tonight and I _am_ armed."

"Still mad about this afternoon, I see. Come off it Granger, the mark will go away in a couple of days."

"Yeah, and in the mean time, I'm the one who'll have to hide it from everyone."

He sighed. "Okay, take your best shot."

"You can't be serious. I never imagined you with a death wish."

"Good Lord, not with your wand."

She looked at him in confusion.

"Go ahead. I'll let you do whatever you want to me. I'm yours to explore. I'll just stand here, like a good little boy waiting for his…punishment. I won't so much as lay a finger on you without your direction."

With an evil little smirk of her own, Hermione switched their position. He was now caught between her arms backed up against the balcony railing. She leaned in, loosened his tie and unbuttoned his top button. "Hold onto something," she whispered. With a knowing smile, he wrapped his arms around her. She had been thinking more along the lines of the railing, but she let it go – he wasn't groping her, just holding her comfortably. And it wasn't unpleasant being in his arms; truth be told, she did say to hold onto something. Without another thought, she took his neck as he had done to her out by the lake. When she was done with him, they both had matching marks. Hermione looked at him with a fully satisfied smile.

"Oooh, very good, Granger. Feel better?"

"A little."

"Marking me, like I did you…nice one. I suppose for a first attempt at revenge it wasn't too bad. Careful Granger, seems like my influence is starting to show in you.

"Careful of what? You?" Hermione shook her head. "Enough." She moved to walk away from him, but he took hold of her wrist. "Let go of me," she demanded.

"Not so fast. Don't I get a proper thank you?" he said.

"For what? Stalking me?"

"No, for returning your things. You left me so abruptly this afternoon, you forgot your book and your blanket." He gestured to the opposite end of the tower and her eyes followed. There in the corner, her blanket was spread out neatly and her book was sitting on it.

She walked past him murmuring her thanks.

"What was that, Granger?"

She sighed heavily and turned to face him. "Thank you Malfoy for returning my things. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish patrol."

"You're not going anywhere."

"Excuse me?" she said reaching down to retrieve her book.

"You're done with patrol, this is your last stop," he said walking over to her and the strategically placed blanket.

"You don't know what you're talking about, I still have to check the northern…"

"Liar," he said casually. He now stood in front of her. He took the book from her and tossed it back on the blanket. "You always do the Astronomy tower last." He backed her up and now they were both standing on the blanket. "You like to finish with a nice view of the grounds before going to bed. On a clear night, like tonight, the lake gives a serene reflection of the moon and stars…you like to see that before bed…it relaxes your mind after a long day, of _thinking_ too much. I thought tonight, we could, perhaps, take in the sight together," he finished with a little wave of his hand motioning for her to sit on the blanket.

"How did you…? Never mind, it doesn't matter." She bent down and snatched up her book again, stepped off the blanket, picked up a corner and started tugging at it.

"Oh, yes Granger. I had someone make some discrete inquiries about you. If we're going to have a successful teacher/student relationship, I thought it best to have some additional background information so I could best know how to _educate_ you."

Grunting and tugging at the blanket she said, "wow. It wasn't until this very moment," _tug_, "that I really understood just how much of a pompous," _tug_, "ass you really are." In between each tug he was forced to take a steps backwards. "You're confidence amazes me Malfoy. What makes you think you'll be teaching me anything…especially tonight?"

"Come now, Granger. You don't really believe that when you stormed off this afternoon that that was really the end of all this? I crossed my heart and hoped to _die,_ remember? I can't hurt you without hurting myself…what are you so afraid of?"

"Well, I'm certainly not afraid of you."

"Really? Prove it."

"Arrrr" she growled in frustration, the majority of the blanket bunched in her arms between them. "Get off Malfoy," she demanded as she tugged in vein, leaving Malfoy standing just on the edge of the blanket.

A devilish smile appeared on his face. "Spread that blanket back out and I'm sure with some guidance, you can certainly make that happen for me," he said tucking a lock of loose hair behind her ear. He leaned in and whispered, "I have every confidence in you."

Disgusted at his forwardness, Hermione gave one final tug on the blanket as hard as she could. Malfoy slipped back but grabbed onto her taking her toppling to the floor with him. They landed once again in a jumble of arms and legs, this time Hermione on top with the blanket bunched between them.

He snaked his arms around her preventing escape. "mmmm very nice," he growled. "Now let's just get this blanket out of the way and your first lesson can begin." He quickly pulled out the blanket and tossed it aside. Before she could even react, his arms were back around her, holding her firmly but comfortably.

"Let go of me Malfoy," she said struggling to get free from him. "I said I would seek you out, when and if I wanted to go though with this…this – I can't even clearly define what _this_ is." She sighed heavily in aggravation and tried again to explain, "I was on _prefects_ _patrol_ tonight, not out looking for…"

"Granger," he said in an almost amused sigh. "It's not in a Gryffindor's nature to lie. And you're extraordinarily bad at it."

That did it. She pushed herself away from him and quickly stood up. He knew. _'Damn it, how the hell can he know that I'm lying?'_

For she was, indeed, lying through her teeth. Since returning to the castle in the afternoon, she hid away in the Gryffindor common room avoiding any contact with Malfoy while inwardly yearning to seek him out. But she held herself in check by keeping busy helping Harry and Ron with their assignments. She managed to get them all caught up on their homework and even gotten them started on next week's essays. After all her help, they didn't mind in the least that she decided to skip dinner. She took a hot shower hoping to wash away the memories of her afternoon encounters with Malfoy, but it didn't help. As she dressed for patrol, she unconsciously dressed a little more stylishly than normal in secret hope of running into Malfoy.

She took a cleansing breath as she watched Malfoy get up off the floor and turn toward her. She tried again, "I said I would _find_ you when I needed you."

"And so you have." He took a step towards her.

She struggled for control and took a step back, "I…I don't need you Malfoy and I wasn't trying to find you. You were… waiting for me."

He took a step closer. "Indeed I was, but make no mistake, you do need me Granger…"

At her intake of breath, the sure start of a protest, he cut her off.

"…and don't try and deny it."

He stood there, arms crossed over his chest with that blasted smirk firmly in place, shaking his head slowly from side to side.

"You think I wouldn't notice now? After what happened today? Do you really think I would just let you forget about it? You said yourself, I'm typically dominant – what makes you think I would just wait around for you? What makes you think that I wouldn't pursue this?"

"There's nothing to pursue. I said I would come to you _if_ I…maybe I'm not ready for this, Malfoy…maybe I changed my mind."

"Stop lying Granger. Just admit it. You wanted me in the Library, you wanted me out by the lake and you wanted me all afternoon, but have been too cowardly to take the first step; very unlike a Gryffindor, really. It must have killed you to hide from me in your common room all afternoon. So, I'm making the first step for you. You crossed a very specific line then quickly withdrew, let me pull you back over it again."

He swiftly took her in his arms and before she had a chance to react, he nuzzled into her neck and gently sucked her earlobe into his mouth then punctuated it with a soft slow lick. A throaty moan escaped her lips and she sagged against him. He wrapped one arm around her waist and held her against him before he turned her so that she fully faced him. Her back was now pressed into the railing while her front was fully pressed against his. His hand came up to possessively hold the back of her neck while his other sat comfortably on her hip. He looked directly into her eyes to make sure he had her undivided attention before saying, "we're both here, now. Let's take advantage of this time together Granger. It couldn't get any more romantic than a few hours alone in the moonlight, could it?"

Hermione held back a sudden urge to sigh in delight. She reminded herself that this was Malfoy standing seductively in front of her talking of moonlight and…hours?

"Who are you?" she said almost to herself. "A Malfoy suddenly speaking of romance? Unheard of."

"Well, we could get right down to business I suppose, but I didn't think you were that kind of a girl…always figured you as the type to go in for a lot of foreplay, and not one of those 'do me now' types."

"And since when do you take into account the girl's feelings? I thought you got what you wanted when you wanted it, no apologies."

"True that is sometimes the case, but terms are agreed to before hand, by myself and the girl. I give her exactly what she asks for – nothing more, nothing less."

"A business arrangement," she said flatly. Like he would have any other agenda.

"Exactly. We'll each get something we want. You get experience, and I get satisfied, plain and simple. Anything deeper is taken out of the equation from the start of the endeavor."

"I'm not a total prude Malfoy. I have kissed a few boys you know. And I _can_ get a favorable reaction out of them. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Clearly," he agreed thinking back to his unexpected comeuppance in the library. "But, be that as it may, we do have to set a few ground rules."

"Such as?"

"You need to tell me how you want this to go…soft and sweet? Hard and fast?"

She couldn't believe how easily he could turn something so personal into a business agreement. She was shocked by what he said and she questioned in a whisper, "soft and sweet?" Then had to stop from quivering in delight at the mere thought of it.

"To be fair we did have a bit of the hard and fast in the library, you saw to that. I supposed we could have this agreement include a combination of both. At the beginning of each session, you'll have to instruct me how you want to proceed or I could just follow your lead…"

"Follow my…?" And she thought a moment. _'What could it possibly hurt to have a quick dalliance with Malfoy? Besides the fact that Harry and Ron would probably be disgusted, who would it hurt? But what if something deeper developed between them. No. That can never happen. It would be utterly insane.' _She looked at him as he patiently awaited her reply.

Finally she found the words, "okay. Fine. But I have a rule too."

"And that is?"

"Don't fall in love with me."

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that, Granger."

"Just promise me," she said softly.

"Fine, I promise. Now, do we have an accord?" He leaned in a little closer and stole a quick kiss at the corner of her mouth.

"Yes, Malfoy. We have an accord."

"Good. Shall we begin then? How would you like to proceed tonight?"

He waited patiently for instruction. "Kiss me," she said after looking at him for a few moments. He leaned in to take her mouth, but before he could she added, "softly." Her innocent demand allowed a throaty growl to escape his lips. He did as he was told and gently kissed her lips. As promised, Malfoy let her lead. She kissed him with sweet closed mouth kisses, while caressing his face. She lazily licked his lips asking without words to let her in. He complied without hesitation. Hermione explored his mouth slowly, not wanting another bruising kiss like they shared in the library. She wanted to see what Malfoy was like in a tender moment – not that any of his intentions were the least bit tender – but still, she could pretend. After all, she was the one in control. She ran a hand through his hair and as the kiss progressed, she grasped the back of his head and held him to her. The kiss deepened, and he matched the movement of her tongue stroke for every blessedly deep stroke.

When she ended the kiss, they were both breathless. Staring into each other's eyes, neither spoke. Hermione bit on her bottom lip waiting for a comment…any comment. She couldn't take his silence. "Well? How was that?" she asked.

Malfoy was trying desperately to stay in control. If it was even possible, that kiss was even hotter than the kisses they shared in the library. He took a breath and cleared his throat, "do you really want to know?" he asked quietly glancing away from her to examine the stone beneath their feet.

Her heart sank. "It was terrible, then?" she said. His head shot up. "Well, thanks for not bothering to spare my feelings, Malfoy. I knew this was a mistake."

"Huh?" was all he could get out before she continued.

She stepped away from him, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm so stupid for trusting you."

"Wait, Granger…no. You don't understand."

"Oh I understand plenty. This afternoon I admitted I wasn't as experienced as you, but you said you would teach… good lord what was I thinking? Considering trusting the great Malfoy, professional snogger. I can just imagine what you thought of my kiss in the library. Ugh! How could I have been so stupid?" She stomped away from him.

"Will you wait a minute!"

"No! Leave me alone Malfoy. I should have followed my instincts and left when I realized you were up here waiting for me." She turned and ran down the stairs, tears threatening to spill down her face.

Malfoy pushed away from the railing. _'What the bloody hell was that all about? I was only trying to tell her…'_ He began to follow her, but tripped over something. It was the book he had tried to return to her. Malfoy picked it up then found and gathered the blanket. _'She'll want these back, Merlin knows she can't go that long without her books. I'll just wait for the opportune moment and then… give it to her.'_

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Borrowed a few more lines from Buffy….had to do it….they fit way too nicely. All hail to the Jossverse and his brilliance. And there is another one from a movie: 10 points to your house if you can name the movie and the line.


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